The Perfect Party (with Just a Dash of Chaos)
by Remasa
Summary: It's Adrien's fifth birthday, and Gabriel is determined to throw him the best party in all of Paris. After all, he has to impress people and what better way than by hosting the perfect party for his perfect son? Things hit a snag when his stubborn wife refuses to cater to his increasingly irrational demands. Who will emerge victorious in the inevitable chaos of the party?


_The Perfect Party (with Just a Dash of Chaos)_

Gabriel Agreste hunched over his desk, tapping the edge of a pencil against his lip as he eyed his latest design with a frown. Crumpled balls of paper lay scattered all around the desk and floor, some of them making it into the tiny wastebin beside him, but most weren't even lucky enough to land in the general vicinity of the bin.

"Green and yellow," he muttered. His hand dropped to the paper, slashing bold strokes across the white. "Perfect spring colors. Yellow balloons, green cups, yellow plates, green tablecloth... argh no!"

With a frustrated groan, he tore the page from his diminishing notebook, crumpled it in his fist and tossed it over his shoulder. "Green and yellow would clash with his eyes! That was stupid, Gabriel! Quit being so stupid!"

He slumped back against his chair, letting his arms dangle to the side. The pencil dropped from between his lax fingers and rolled under the desk.

"I wonder...," he mumbled aloud, staring up at the ceiling as if seeking divine inspiration. "Black would bring out Adrien's eyes amazingly. He would look stunning in black. But would black be too much for a birthday party?" He groaned as he continued staring upwards, contemplating the possibilities. "No, black is out," he decided at last, knowing that he should at least make a note of it for when Adrien gets older. The boy would simply rock an all-black ensemble. "Oh! Navy!" he cried, shooting back up in the chair. "Dark enough to highlight his hair and eyes, classy enough for the crowd, and still able to bring about a hint of that adorable childhood fashion. Perfect! Gabriel, you've done it again, you fashion genius you!" he crowed. His hand lowered to the fresh page, poised to start scribbling when he frowned at his empty fingers.

He tilted his head over to the side, looking for his wayward pencil. Finding nothing but empty space, he sighed and pushed back his chair to drop to his hands and knees.

"Aha!" he triumphed as his fingers curled around his prize.

"Gabriel?"

"Ah!" he cried, jerking high into the air and smashing his head against the bottom of his desk hard enough for the rattles to knock off a few bits of paper balls. "Ow," he whimpered, clutching the top of his head.

"Gabriel, dear, are you okay?"

The glorious voice spoke again and Gabriel almost melted into a pile of goo at the sweet honey tones of his wife.

"Gabriel!"

"Fine!" he answered, peeking out from under the desk. His hair stuck out at odd angles from his head and he stared into her alluring eyes. "I... hi Emilie." He lifted his head up a bit more and rested his chin upon the flat surface of his work station, giving her what he hoped was his best puppy dog stare.

Her lips twitched into a tiny smile. "Gabriel, what are you doing?"

Satisfied she wasn't upset at his absent-mindedness, he settled back down in his chair and smoothed his ruffled strands back into place with one hand. "Planning Adrien's fifth birthday party, of course," he answered. Emilie stepped around the desk and placed one tender kiss upon the top of his head, right where he bumped it. The pain immediately lessened. Further proof Emilie's kisses were indeed magical.

"What do you have so far?" she inquired.

"Not much," he admitted. "I think I've narrowed down the color scheme to navy blue, but I'm stuck on the pairing. How does bronze sound?"

"He's certainly smart enough for it," Emilie mused, tilting her head as she picked up one of the non-crumpled sheets of paper. "Though Adrien seems more of the loyal type, so perhaps yellow and black?"

"Black is a nice color, but the yellow would definitely clash with his hair. No, I'm thinking navy is the key, but bronze is on its way out as a fashionable color. We would be the laughingstock of Paris if we hosted a party with outdated colors. I'll go with navy blue and silver instead. Silver is trending back into style. Yes, yes this could work! Silver tablecloth, navy plates and napkins, silverware, of course, that's an easy one. Navy crystal goblets. Navy and silver streamers and balloons. Yes! This will be perfect!"

"Navy blue and silver are fine, dear. He's five. This isn't a fashion week party."

Gabriel craned his neck to stare at his wife. "He's my son! I even designed an outfit for that day." He rummaged through the papers on his desk, several flying off the sides but he paid no mind. At last, he spotted the coveted sheet. "Aha! Here we are!" he exclaimed, holding the paper high into the air. He turned to show Emilie. "See? Navy blue and silver would look _perfect_ with this design."

Emilie sighed, indulging her husband. "I still think you're making too big of a fuss about this, dear."

As she turned to leave, her eyes caught sight of the draft of the invitation and she lifted it for a closer look. "Wait, are you going to _ban_ people from entering if they don't match the color scheme?"

"Of course."

Emilie folded her arms and leveled the most unamused look at him. "Gabriel, you need to calm down. He's five. No one wants to coordinate a black tie event for a _five-year-old's_ birthday party."

He attempted to get her to see reason. "But Audrey Bourgeois will be there," he said. "She can blacklist me if I'm not a trendsetter."

"Audrey adores you, Gabriel," Emilie said with a roll of her eyes. "You would be hard pressed to do anything that she didn't agree with."

"She can change her mind at a moment's notice," he retorted.

"But never about you," she pointed out. "Besides, you can't honestly expert her to critique a child's birthday party, can you?"

The look he leveled at her told her that yes, he certainly did expect such a stunt from Audrey Bourgeois.

"Gabriel, tasteful decorations are one thing, and I fully support your decisions on those. But controlling your guests is going way beyond what's expected – and not in a good way."

"What's wrong with a general dress code? Like cocktail?"

"Gabriel, if you don't get a grip, I will dress our son in the most hideous fashions I can find for that day."

A gasp. Gabriel lunged back in the chair. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Orange and pink. Plaid pants. Polka-dot shirt."

A horrified noise sounding like something between a gasp and a squeal emerged pitifully from Gabriel's throat. His face paled.

Emilie leaned in close for the kill. "Striped hat. Socks with sandals. _Mismatched _socks."

"Fine fine fine!" Gabriel exploded, hunching over the paper and scribbling frantically through several lines. "There, I removed it. Happy?"

"Yes, dear." Emilie kissed the top of Gabriel's head and walked out of the room.

He tapped the pencil against his lip again. "Hmm, maybe just a _tiny_ dress code. Semiformal."

"Suspenders _and_ a belt!" Came the cry from the other room.

With another strangled yelp, Gabriel scratched through that idea once and for all.

* * *

The doorbell signaled the arrival of more guests. Emilie had vanished with Adrien to tend to some of the younger children, which left Gabriel to greet the newcomers.

"Ah, Alexander and Eliza," he welcomed as the doors revealed the younger couple. "And you brought your son, wonderful!"

"Thank you for inviting us, Gabriel," Alexander said.

"Philip has been talking non-stop all week about this party," Eliza added. "He's so excited to play with Adrien."

Gabriel stared down at the small child clutching a brightly wrapped purple and gold gift in his hands, and smiled. "Adrien is in the back room," he told the little boy.

Philip rewarded him with an enormous toothy grin and darted off. Alexander and Eliza followed after.

"Philip, wait up," Eliza reprimanded, and the boy paused dutifully while he waited for his mother.

"Hurry, Momma," he said. "I wanna play with Adrien."

Eliza shook her head with an endearing smile upon her face. "I thought arriving here would have calmed him down somewhat," she offered as an apologetic explanation to Gabriel. "But I'm afraid that child will never be satisfied."

The ding of the doorbell heralding more guests prevented Gabriel from saying anything more than a quick "enjoy yourselves," before he rushed back to greet the next guests. He glanced at the camera and hastily consulted the picture guide of the guests Nathalie had given to him before opening the door once more.

"Oh, hello there, Sally. So lovely to see you and little Percy again." He continued to greet the guests as they arrived, swallowing his dislike of crowds while Emilie vanished to tend to who knows what. He even managed a cordial, stiff smile to André and Audrey Bourgeois and their young daughter – Cleo? (he would have to ask Audrey again later) – who instantly demanded to see Adrien before sauntering with practiced poise to the back room. Audrey swept in with a glowing comment about his choice of decorations before gliding after her daughter. Unlike many of the other guests, both Bourgeois ladies wore dresses that wouldn't look out of place on the red carpet. Gabriel sighed. He should have known that Audrey Bourgeois wouldn't attend anything without attempting to upstage everyone.

A little while later, Gabriel stood at the doorway to the main gathering room, surveying the scene with contentment. The streamers and balloons decorated the room with their cheery colors, though high enough to be out of reach from curious five-year-old hands. Several activities to distract the children were scattered around the room – from finger painting easels, coloring stations, from arts and crafts areas stocked with everything from beads to lace to fabrics. There were even several games and puzzles set out for the kids to play with. Gabriel could say with certainty this party would be another success.

A huge table piled high with presents pressed against the back wall, and Gabriel wondered how long the kids would stay occupied while Adrien tore into them.

Speaking of Adrien...

His eyes swept over the room, failing to lock onto the vibrant blond hair of his son. Or, for that matter, his wife. His lips turned downward slightly as his hands instinctively fluttered to smooth his vest (a nervous habit he was trying his best to break). He shoved his hands behind his back and clenched them together.

"Hello, sweetie."

The innocent words spoken in a sultry tone returned the smile to his face as he spun to welcome his wife.

He choked.

The smile slid into open-mouthed shock as he took in the sight in front of him.

Emilie stood before him, radiant as always. She could always make his breath catch in his throat from her beauty.

However, at this moment, his breath had been stolen away by his son.

His son currently wearing the most _hideous_ outfit he had ever laid eyes upon.

Gone were the smart navy shorts and matching loafers, the navy shirt embroidered with silver accents, and the adorable navy belt with the silver _G_ buckle.

Before him stood an abomination of color and fabric.

A green and black tartan kilt. A black cat's face sporran held up with a hot pink belt. A red Hawaiian shirt with giant white hibiscus flowers scattered upon it. Mismatched _Gabriel_ brand boots – one orange and one yellow. And perched upon the golden locks rested one of those rainbow striped caps with the propeller on top.

The boy beamed at him.

His eyes flew to meet Emilie's, now staring at him with the smuggest of smiles upon her own lips.

"Wha-?" he found his voice. Gulping, he stepped closer. "I did everything you asked," he pleaded in a low voice to his wife. "No dress code, no helicopter parenting... why does Adrien look like... _that_? Audrey Bourgeois is here!"

"Relax, darling," she said, leaning in and planting a soft kiss to the tip of his nose, glibly dismissing his panic. "You've become way too stressed over this. No one cares what Adrien looks like. Can't you see that?"

He looked out over the sea of people, realizing that she was right. Not even Audrey Bourgeois batted an eye at Adrien, instead loudly praising the décor of the room and declaring new trends that appeared to be inspired by his choices.

"Besides," she added, "Adrien picked this out."

"And you _let_ him?" he hissed out in reply, suitably aghast.

"Look, Papa, I'm just like you!" Adrien crowed, proudly striking a pose. Gabriel stared at him, speechless.

"It turns out, darling," Emilie cooed in his ear, "that our little genius has taken notice to what you do for a living. You pick out different clothes for people to wear. And Adrien wanted to do the same. Who am I to stop him?"

And looking into her eyes, he knew he was helpless to resist. He deflected his attention back to Adrien to break the hypnotic hold his wife had upon him.

"Like me, huh?" he asked.

Adrien nodded with that smile of his that always melted Gabriel's heart. "I picked out a lot of clothes, just like you do."

"You did a fantastic job," he praised. "Soon you're going to be better than Papa." Gabriel tapped his lip with one finger. "That cat's face purse you're wearing," he began.

"The sporran?" Emilie clarified.

His grin widened as his wife set up the punch line perfectly. "Don't you mean s_purr_an?" he teased, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

Adrien giggled with delight even as Emilie groaned. "Gabriel, please," she said, rubbing her forehead with one hand. "Don't encourage the child. One punster in this household is more than enough."

Gabriel turned his attention back to his son. "Why don't you go off and play? I think young Miss Bourgeois has been asking about you."

"Okay, Papa," Adrien exclaimed, wrapping his tiny arms around Gabriel's leg before releasing it and darting off into the sea of people.

"Happy birthday, Adrien," he called after his son. A high pitched giggle of delight was his only reply.

Emilie snaked her own arms around him. "You took that better than I thought."

"I'm still cursing your sudden yet inevitable betrayal," Gabriel scolded in a lighthearted voice, even as a soft smile curved his own lips upward. "He really said he wants to be like me?"

A hum of agreement answered him. "Of course, dear. Does that honestly surprise you?"

"A bit," he admitted, allowing a thread of insecurity to show.

"It shouldn't," she said. "Adrien loves you. I love you. And I'll repeat it until the end of time." She reached up and ran her fingers through his perfectly coiffed locks, mussing the strands.

He scowled at her, though the action was only half-hearted as he couldn't stay angry at her for long. "How about some cake?" he asked as he smoothed back his ruffled hair, hoping to distract her.

"Darling, I thought you would never ask."

* * *

_**Author's Note: Happy Birthday, RoseGardenTwilight!**_

_A bit of backstory to us. I joined a Discord server back in December, and within 24 hours of joining discovered that one of the other members worked at the same exact place as me! We met up during one of our breaks and since then have hit off a fast friendship. What are the odds?_

_RGT writes some amazing AUs if that's your reading preference. Check out her works!_

_A special thank you to **PerditaAlottachocolate**, who not only beta'ed and guided this story to perfection, but also provided the artwork for it as well! Check out her tumblr page for more of her drawings (including the picture she drew of Adrien in his full party outfit) and fics!_

_Additionally, I also have a tumblr account! Look me up under **goblin-alchemist** and send me lots of Good-Guy-Gabe love!_

_**EDIT**: "Hmm, that looks like a [Harry Potter/Percy Jackson/Hamilton/Doctor Who/Firefly] reference... is it?" The answer is yes! I included Easter eggs from all of those fandoms listed in the story, so hope you enjoyed finding them as well! :)_


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